Thursday, November 20, 2008

Trooper Hell

The Trooper decided to be an asshole this week (of course, I just paid it off Friday) and started idling rough, stalling out on me and just plain running crappy. I figured first thing first. Fuel filter. I changed that out but to no avail. I took it up to my uncle today at Mosty's Garage here in Kerrville and he ran the computer diagnostic test. It came back with some incoherent codes that meant diddly shit. He cleared the codes out of the computer and told me to come back when the Check Engine Light came back on. I drove out to work as it was and at lunch I drove it back in and waited for the little orange light to illuminate. Drove. Drove. Drove. Finally it lit up. I drove it over to the shop, hooked it up to the puter and awaited it's devine wisdom. The code that came back was an EGR valve error but nothing bad. I called the auto parts store and a new EGR valve costs $167 WTF!

So after work today I took my Uncle's advice and went to CarQuest (the local dudes) and got a can of spider killer/throttle body cleaner. I removed the air intake from the throttle body and douched all the carbon buildup out of it. The black smoke that blew out of the tailpipe would give Algore a heart attack. Then I removed the EGR valve and cleaned it as good as possible, careful to not douse any electrical parts. Put everything back together and hit the road. It had some initial hesitation but after getting it up to 80 or so and blowing all the shit out in seems to run fine.

3 comments:

At least you can work on the thing yourself and/or your uncle. Up until about 3 years ago I had a '93Tacoma with the 22R motor. I could do anything and everything to that simple 4-banger and it always treated me well. Clutch, water pump, belts, you name it, I could do it in a couple hours. Then what do I do? I buy myself a '99 Tacoma 6-cyl and it all goes to shit. Now when I pop the hood, I don't even know WTF I'm looking at. With this newer one, it's such a pain in the ass just to get to the oil filter that I let Toyota service it for me. It's all computerized bullshit!

Gotta give it to the Japs though. They sure make reliable motors. How many miles you got on that thing?

BTW, the spider killer/throttle body cleaner reference cracked me up. I forgot all about that post.

I just turned 168,000 the other day. This is the real first trouble I have had with it. Besides the starter going out on me. I forgot to tell you about that. The starter took a shit on me the morning after I dropped Leslie and you off at the airport. Good thing it didn't decide to die at the Alamo.

FOD

FOD is the brainchild of Paul, who hates Mondays almost as much as he hates the Cooncracker. You don't have to fly the one fingered salute. But it helps. Send your picture to gravdigr@cebridge.net Put FOD in the subject line.

Drunken Fools

Pure Genius

A woman drove me to drink and I didn't even have the decency to thank her.~W.C. Fields

Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.~Benjamin Franklin

I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me.~Hunter S. Thompson

I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, That's as good as they're going to feel all day.~Frank Sinatra

Here's to a long life and a merry oneA quick death and an easy oneA pretty girl and an honest oneA cold beer and another one!~Author Unknown

Once during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water.~W.C. Fields

Well ya see, Norm, it's like this.... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That's why you always feel smarter after a few beers.

~Cliff Clavin

Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.

~ Dave Barry

When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading.

~Henny Youngman

Our Lager which art in barrelsSwallowed be thy drinkAt home, as it is in the tavernForgive our spillagesAs we forgive those who spill against usLead us not into incarcerationBut deliver us from hangoverFor thine is the beer, the bitter and the barley.Barmen~The Beer's Prayer

Alcohol May Be Man's Worst Enemy

But The Bible Says Love Your Enemy

~ Frank Sinatra

That's the problem with drinking, I thought, as I poured myself a drink…If something bad happens you drink in an attempt to forget; if something good happens you drink to celebrate; and if nothing happens you drink to make something happen. - Charles Bukowski

The liver is evil and must be punished. - Author Unknown

I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet beer. -Homer Simpson

Write drunk; edit sober. - Ernest Hemingway

I take every day one beer at a time, one beer every sip at a time. - Dennis Leary